The X-Men were due to leave at 10am, the detonation time for the virus was around 2:00 to 2:30pm. Fox had been awake since sunrise and she, Jubilee and Rogue had been slamming punching bags in the gym all morning.
Fox had to argue a fair bit to earn herself a place in the mission, but eventually Cyclops had agreed to let her come on the condition that she was always within the vicinity of one of the senior X-Men. For safety reasons, of course.
But they need me, she realised. With her speed she could save the lives of many civilians if they were found in the crossfire between Brotherhood mutants and the X-Men. The same way she had saved those people at Tower Point. And the X-Men, being unsure of the amount of members the Brotherhood had, needed all the numbers they could get.
Since Jubilee was more experienced than Fox, she had been granted a place in the mission as well and now joined in the exercises eagerly. Fox noticed Jubilation Lee was extremely fit and agile, but Jubilee also had the advantage being able to use her mutation as an offensive weapon. Her 'fireworks' could blind an opponent easily. She could even blow them up if she wanted to.
Rogue was strong and could definitely hold her own in a fight, but battle was particularly risky for her. Because her real power could only come into play at very close range, she had to take on the 'ground' operatives of the Brotherhood; namely Mystique, Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike. Mutants such as Magneto, Pyro and even Toad had the advantage of being able to attack her from long distance, thus avoiding skin contact. Furthermore, with every person she touched, Rogue risked becoming psychologically unstable for days, depending on how long she came into contact with them for.
Despite the nervous tension in the air, adrenaline was pumping through Fox's veins, and like a child on Christmas Eve, she couldn't keep still. This feeling of restless excitement was intensified once Wolverine walked into the gym and started his own exercises.
"Hey Wolverine!" Fox called out. He turned away from the swinging punching bag to face Fox. She in turn assumed a karate pose. "I need to practice on someone bigger than me."
Logan gave an abrupt laugh while shaking his head quickly. "I don't wanna hurt ya, kid. I don't even think you should be going today."
"But I am going!" Fox replied gleefully. "So c'mon!"
Logan repeated his decline, and returned to his own punching bag. "But you could work on your left hook," he added over his shoulder. "I noticed it's crooked when you punch, and it's a little weaker than your right. Build its strength up a bit."
Fox grinned, looking down and flexing her left arm. Rogue elbowed her in the side, making sure no skin-to-skin contact was made. "Nah, it's time to put some meat on your bones, sugah. Let's go eat."
10:00am and they were all aboard the Blackbird; Cyclops and Storm up front, Jean and Wolverine in the next row, Rogue and Iceman next, then Nightcrawler, Jubilee and Fox in the back. Everyone was strangely silent as the jet took off, each lost in their own head full of worries. The only person to speak was Cyclops to outline the plan, with Wolverine occasionally making his remarks.
Fox shifted about uncomfortably in her leather suit, which was a lot tighter than the one she had stolen and worn to the biochemical research center. A niggling thought entered the back of her mind. What about Pyro? She jammed the thought away, refusing to think about him. Fox knew that if she was to face the flamethrower in battle she'd have to choose between her team and him. It was something she wanted to put off for as long as possible.
Jubilee would chatter now and then, try to crack a joke, but Fox remained distant. Eventually, the jet drew closer to Washington, and everyone snapped to attention as Scott landed in an open plain outside of the city, far out of Magneto's reach. The team had to make the rest of the way on foot.
Trudging through the grass, the X-Men remained close together with Scott and Jean leading the group, both on the lookout for any threats. But the residential land outside of Washington central remained deserted, as if the events in the city had drawn every civilian towards it.
Then the city drew nearer. Storm kicked off the first phase of their plan, and began to manipulate the weather. Fox watched with fascination as Storm's eyes glazed over to a brilliant, snow-white. Storm outstretched her arms like a goddess, her blinding white hair being tossed wildly by the wind. The weather slowly changed from overcast, to dark, then a thick fog lifted from the ground as heavy rain began to fall.
Storm created a sort of 'bubble' around the group, protecting them from the worst of the weather as they continued on their way. Eventually, all visibility was reduced, and Fox felt Jubilee grab her elbow to make sure she wasn't lost. Scott's red visor however gave him enhanced vision within the inclement weather and he led the way through the city and further towards the Senate building.
Atop the building, Pyro sat up straighter as the weather changed abruptly. He could see the civilians down below marveling at the phenomenal change from a sunny afternoon to a foggy, drizzly storm. Now the wisps of fog grew thicker, the tendril mists creating an eerie atmosphere. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and it was clear a huge storm was on the way.
Wait, storm...?
"Everyone, stay alert," Mystique's voice ordered through the earpiece Pyro and all the Brotherhood members wore for communication. "Looks like they're making an entrance. You know what to do."
The X-Men had reached a section of the iron blockade that wasn't guarded by U.S Security – just as Storm predicted, the change in weather had driven them towards the front of the Senate building where their vehicles were stationed. Storm enlarged the visibility cloud around the group, and Fox could now see the huge metal barricade and her fellow X-Men clearly. She braced herself, her stomach churning, the nerves now practically eating her alive.
"All right, Jubes," Cyclops said with a nod, motioning everyone to stand back.
Jubilation Lee stepped forward, cracking her knuckles with a cheeky grin. "Back up, everyone. No, seriously. Back up."
Extending an arm towards the iron shield, her face grew still with concentration. Then suddenly a multitude of huge, brightly colored energy globes burst forward, the explosion loud, dazzling and extremely powerful. Metal shrapnel went flying as the bottom of the barricade was demolished by Jubilee's fireworks, which in this case proved to be as powerful as a bomb.
Jean Grey used her telekinesis to protect the group from the airborne fragments, while Cyclops blasted the remainder of the shield away, giving the X-Men an opening large enough to enter through. Meanwhile, Storm had coincided the explosions with loud claps of thunder, so as not to alert National Security or other defense forces to their breach.
Wolverine and Cyclops charged forward through the opening, followed by the rest of the team who were still banded close together. They had entered the part of the metal blockade that immediately faced the back of the Senate building, so no civilians were in sight yet. However the goal was to enter through the front of the building, so the group continued forward with still a fair distance to cover.
Pyro sprang to his feet as he witnessed the colorful blast, and he recognized the entire X-Men team, even from this height. But in the thunder, fog and rain, he wasn't sure if any other Brotherhood members were aware of their presence. Instead of simply using the communication earpiece to alert the rest of the Brotherhood, John snapped his lighter on, initiating the first part of his own plan.
Taking a flame into his hand, Pyro is enlarged above his head until it was the size of a car. With a wicked grin, he sculpted the dancing flames into the shape of a colossal bird – a firebird. This demon-like monster made from Pyro's fire served two purposes – to attack the X-Men and to alert the rest of the Brotherhood. Pyro started laughing as he drove the bird in vulture-like circles, before it began a massive dive.
Fox stood transfixed by the giant orange firebird, well aware of who as behind it. It was strangely beautiful, majestic... she half expected it to give a war cry as it circled the top of the Senate building, then began plummeting towards the group. Jubilee screamed as the bird's nosedive revealed its truly monstrous size, and the piercing sound snapped the rest of the X-Men out of their seemingly hypnotic trance. Fox was about burst into hyper-speed when she noticed Jean Grey leaping forward.
The first one to act, Jean Grey launched a powerful telekinetic blast at the firebird, deflecting it away from the group. Pyro struggled against Jean's telekinesis, teeth gritted in determination while pushing with all his might to inflame the X-Men. Jean Grey responded by pushing harder with her telekinesis, and a reverse tug-of-war began in the air.
Cyclops chose that moment to aim an optic blast at Pyro. Or rather, the rooftop directly underneath him. The crimson laser shattered the part of the building Pyro was standing on, and the teenager cried out in horror as his foundations collapsed from beneath him. Pyro tumbled from the rooftop and plunged towards the earth below, losing control of his self-generated firebird. The bird disintegrated and reverted to ordinary flames which rained down onto the grass around the X-Men. Iceman quickly raised his arm, and sent streams of frost across the ground in order to extinguish the flames.
An invisible force grabbed Pyro around the waist mid-fall and slowed his descent, directing the fire manipulator to a soft landing. Bewildered, Pyro looked up to see Psylocke, arm extended, and he realized it was her who had saved him using her telekinesis. She was walking calmly towards the X-Men, purple hair swinging and dark eyes narrowed. Don't just stand there, she said telepathically to Pyro, releasing her psychic hold on him and raising the other arm to attack. Get them!
She launched a psychic blast at three of the senior X-Men: Wolverine, Cyclops and Jean Grey. Her telekinesis sent Cyclops and Jean flying towards the iron blockade, while Wolverine went crashing into the opposite direction. Jean Grey quickly tried to counter with her own telekinesis but she and Scott still hit the wall forcefully, while Wolverine collided painfully with Storm. The weather goddess lost concentration and the fog lifted, giving all the chance to fully observe their surroundings.
Before Pyro could flick his lighter open and join in the attack, a voice that he hadn't heard in months halted him.
"Hey there, Allerdyce."
Iceman. Pyro's former best friend and polar opposite stood face-to-face with him, his stare sending chills down Pyro's spine. Pyro shook aside the irony, and gave Iceman an unfeeling glare, forgetting the rest of the X-Men for the time being.
"It doesn't have to be like this, John," Iceman said, his tone almost pleading. "We were friends!"
For a moment his words stunned Pyro, and he felt an icy dagger piercing his heart. But Pyro ignored his emotions, the only thing he allowed himself to feel now was hatred. Brown eyes burning, voice edged with acid, Pyro made his reply.
"Not any more, Bobby. And it's Pyro."
Seizing a flame from his trusty lighter, Pyro blasted it with true force at his former friend, giving an incomprehensible cry. Iceman countered easily, raising his hand calmly and freezing the flames mid-air. Pyro gaped as what had been fire – now solid ice – hit the ground and shattered. Iceman had grown much more powerful since they had last met.
Taking this as a challenge, a wild rage boiled up inside Pyro as he once again summoned the power of fire.
Meanwhile Fox charged forward in a seething rage at the telepath Psylocke, furious that the woman had just hurt four of her teachers. Fists clenched into a ball, Fox broke into a run, getting ready to deliver the spinning high-kick of a lifetime, with Rogue in hot pursuit.
Psylocke seized the two teenagers using her telekinesis and lifted them into the air. Each struggled feebly, when Psylocke suddenly shrieked and dropped to her knees, hands clutching her head. Fox and Rogue were released from her telekinetic hold and hit the ground, hard. Looking up in confusion, Fox saw Psylocke screaming in agony as Jean Grey ran forward, right arm outstretched and eyes furrowed in concentration. Using her telepathy, Jean was sending 'mental bolts' through Psylocke's mind, stunning the enemy telepath and momentarily disabling Psylocke's powers.
"I can take her!" Jean shouted over Psylocke's screams. "The rest of you, go! Get to the entrance!"
"This way!" Nightcrawler shouted to the teenagers, and Fox, Rogue and Jubilee began the race for the entrance to the Senate, followed by a limping Cyclops, Wolverine and Storm. All of a sudden, in a flash of jade, Toad somersaulted onto the scene, landing on Rogue's back hard and snatching Nightcrawler off the ground with his long, green tongue.
A crimson blast pieced the air, missing Toad but shocking the mutant enough to knock him off balance. In a puff of brimstone, Nightcrawler teleported out of Toad's grasp, reappearing mid-air to deliver a somersault kick. Toad sprang out of range, dodging another of Cyclops's red lasers as he climbed swiftly up the side of the Senate building. Nightcrawler followed, teleporting through the air, using his skills as both an acrobat and a fighter to attack Toad.
"Keep going!" Cyclops shouted. Jean Grey was telepathically battling Psylocke, Nightcrawler was occupying Toad, and Iceman was locked in combat with Pyro. That left Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Fox, Jubilee and Rogue (who was now injured) – they could still make it inside the Senate building. Wolverine suddenly sprinted forward, adamatium claws drawn and yelling in an impulsive berserk rage. Jubilee, occupied with helping Rogue, looked up in time to see the cause of Wolverine's outburst – a flash of fur, followed by a savage roar...
Sabretooth hurtled forward in a blind fury and unbelievable speed, clashing violently with Wolverine. Wolverine plunged his claws into the beast's chest only to be thrown high into the air and slammed into the wall of the Senate building. Sabretooth gave a roar of triumph and turned towards his real target – Storm.
Cyclops shoved the teenagers to the wall, trying to keep them out of range as he aimed his visor at the blur of fur. But he needn't have bothered – this time Storm had the advantage of being outside, where the weather was hers to control. Spreading her arms wide in the 'goddess' manoeuvre once again, her dark eyes glazed over to a demon white, and black clouds quickly gathered around herself and Sabretooth.
"Go on, Cyclops," she called, the winds now growing in power, "I can take it from here."
Sabretooth looked cautiously up at the changing sky, when Storm moved her arms in front of her, the manoeuvre forming a funnel of gushing wind around the beast, trapping him. Sabretooth gave a bellow of fury, but the winds kept him cemented in place, spiraling around like a tornado.
Fox, who was watching the scene with fascination, suddenly recoiled, sensing an attack about to occur within the next split second. Yelling, "Get down!" she lunged forward, seizing Cyclops and tackling him to the ground. Before the leader could comprehend why, a flash of silver sliced through the air above their heads, and the fearsome Lady Deathstrike made her entrance.
At first she focused her attacks on Cyclops, Fox, Rogue and Jubilee – Mystique had instructed each Brotherhood member to try and divide the group as much as possible. With her adamantinm fingernails making the metallic schnikt sound, Lady Deathstrike dodged a red laser and launched her famous helicopter move, spinning through the air with her sword-like fingernails outstretched in hope of slashing one or two X-Men. Despite missing the teenagers Deathstrike managed to slice Cyclops' visor in half, and as shards of ruby quartz shattered onto the ground the X-Men's leader fell forward, knowing he was at a considerable disadvantage. Without his visor Cyclops was unable to control his power - thus he was rendered practically blind. Shutting his eyes tightly, Cyclops groped around the ground blindly, fearful of opening his eyes lest he injure fellow X-Men or even hostages.
Rogue and Jubilee quickly leapt in opposite directions to divert Lady Deathstrike, Jubilee flinging an arm forward and discharging a multitude of powerful colored fireworks. This tactic worked in distracting the Brotherhood member, momentarily blinding Lady Deathstrike.
Fox sprang to her feet and attacked, skidding across the ground and letting her feet fly in a low kick. Lady Deathstrike was caught by Fox's first kick and stumbled against the wall, and in that moment it dawned on Fox as to how to defeat the Brotherhood member with a combat tactic. Lady Deathstrike was fast, but Fox was faster, and if she kept to low attacks and stayed out of her claws' range, Fox could bring the woman down.
But before Fox could attack again, Wolverine intervened. "Why don't ya pick on someone ya own size, bub?" he called to Deathstrike, holding his arms out to expose his famous adamantium claws. Lady Deathstrike gave a soft growl at the sight of her arch-rival, choosing to ignore the rest of the X-Men and go for Wolverine.
"Go! You kids have to get to the virus!" Wolverine shouted, before lunging towards Lady Deathstrike.
"C'mon!" Jubilee yelled, making a run for the entrance. That's when she noticed the circle of spectators which had gathered (though at a safe distance) around the X-Men and the Brotherhood's battleground. Their attention-grabbing fight with both Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike had attracted the attention of many of the human hostages trapped inside the metal confines of the Senate building.
Rogue, who was watching Wolverine's battle with Lady Deathstrike doubtfully, reluctantly followed Jubilee to the entrance, with Fox lagging behind.
"Wait! We can't just leave him!" Fox shouted. She knelt beside Cyclops who was fumbling desperately around the ground for his visor. "Cyclops?" She cautiously placed her hands on his shoulders, and gently helped him to his feet.
"Fox?" he replied, "Where's my visor? I can't open my eyes! What's going on out there?"
Without answering, Fox led Cyclops towards Rogue and Jubilee. "We have to get inside together," she said both to Cyclops, as well as Rogue and Jubilee. "Cyclops can blast the virus, but we have to be his eyes for now." Jubilee and Rogue looked at each other, gave a slight nod of agreement, and continued to lead the way to the entrance. Rogue could make out the stairs leading up to the entrance now.
"Wait!" a familiar voice shouted frantically from behind them, halting them in their tracks. The three girls whirled around to see Iceman sprinting through the crowd, waving his arms to stop them. "Rogue! Stop!"
"Bobby?" Rogue called, Fox and Jubilee turning questioningly towards him. "We have to get inside!"
"No!" he replied, now close enough for them to see into his eyes. "Come back. It's a trap!"
All three girls' eyes mirrored each other's confusion. "What-"
Iceman's eyes gave off a golden hue, and suddenly he executed an amazing forwards flip, one foot connecting with Jubilee, sending her flying towards the small crowd. Turning on his other leg like a corkscrew, a crescent-kick struck a stunned Rogue across the face, knocking her to the ground.
Fox's mouth gaped in shock as Iceman's skin slowly transformed from a creamy tan, to blue and scaled, his fair hair turning into a shocking red. From Iceman's form now stood Mystique, elegant, formidable, and compelling. Her eyes glowed a sinister gold as she smiled slowly, as if to say, You're mine.
Jubilee had been thrown too far away to intervene, Rogue was almost unconscious and Mystique was advancing quickly towards Fox.
"Oh... fuck..." was all Fox could think to say.